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by pbhjpbhj 2471 days ago
Are they all? I've always assumed they were plastic, surprised this hasn't been raised to my notice before, eg in advertising "our cigarettes are entirely compostable" or something.
2 comments

You're both right: cigarette filters are made from cellulose acetate, which is a synthetic polymer fiber.
I suspect filling them with tar and other gunk from the burnt tobacco puts them closer to hazardous waste than nicely compostable.
Tar, and other tobacco detritus, isn't really dangerous: The asphalt it's lying on is actually very similar, chemically.

Cigarette butts without the filter are easily degraded organic (carbon) compounds. You can compost them and will get perfectly acceptable potting soil.

Same story for the various additives. As a rule, anything that has a physiological effect and isn't a heavy metal is biodegradable.